Friends make it better

"Hehe, you should've seen Matt's face when Henry skied the shot in front of an empty net. It looked like he saw our chances of winning the league fly with the ball"

Unlike Matt, Mike hasn't pushed for my return as much, probably because he felt it'd be better to not pressure me, but, the look in his eyes informed me that he too had been feeling my absence. His atrocious acting skills are quite infamous, making his attempt at lies amusing. As such, it was easy to spot that he hadn't found the situation as humorous as he was letting on.

Matt let out a deep sigh in response, "Not gonna lie, that miss was really painful, I started doubting whether there was any reason to try. It opened my eyes to the value of a goal-getter, especially why a good striker is so loved and expensive today"

My eyes widened a bit in surprise as I'd never seen Matt complement attackers, always claiming that playmakers deserved all their fame and were more crucial to a team's success, "C'mon, Henry wouldn't have been that horrendous. And I heard you guys clawed your way back to second place?"

Matt nodded in agreement, "It has gotten a bit better lately because of the defense gritting their teeth during every game. Josh has been regularly losing his voice trying to maintain an airtight defense by screaming commands at them, while Mike has been diving every which way, even tanking a few shots with his face to keep a clean sheet"

Mike flinched at that and started involuntarily massaging his knees like an old man, "Ugh, my start hurting just thinking about it. In addition to spending much more stamina in recent matches, I still remember the one where I got a massive bruise on my face that got my colleagues wondering if I had gotten into a fistfight at the bar" 

'Well, that makes sense. Clean sheets are definitely a way to avoid losing'

Honestly, I had always felt that Josh could do better, so it was pleasant to learn that he has been stepping up when it counts. Our defense always seemed one crisis away from imploding before, it was reassuring to hear that isn't the case anymore.

'On an entirely different note, I need to somehow get my hands on pictures of Mike's bruised face', I noted while stifling a laugh.

"You guys make it sound like you're having a hard time, but all I'm seeing is your passion for football. The team seems more united than ever and you all are giving it your best. Now no one can mock us for being a one-man team anymore"

Both of them went mute before grunting and downing the rest of their beers. I decided to take that as a win and join them in chugging my drink down. 

I hid my bitter smile as I realized that I didn't need to be a pro player to enjoy football, I could work just as hard while enjoying it as a hobby, 'Maybe my current lifestyle isn't the right fit I think it is'

Matt broke the silence while looking at me with a wry smile, "While that may be true, we would still very much like our dependable striker back. I'm hoping you didn't invite us out to drink just to be in the loop. So, when will you be returning Nick?"

With the both of them finally getting around to their goal for the evening, the table was wrapped in silence as two pairs of eyes demanded an answer from me. 

The lull made me resume my earlier train of thought, 'Do I really want to slave away under Jeff while not having any time to unwind with friends and play some football, even if it is at the amateur level?'

'Getting paid for watching and analyzing football matches is still my ideal job. But, I don't have to shoehorn myself into this narrow field. I could always be on the lookout for a similar job'

As my perspective shifted, I could easily notice that I was on a fool's errand at my current job and that neither my career nor my mental health were improving at it. My average week started seeming insane to me.

'Who knows, maybe there's some truth to what Mike mentioned, having a wider range of experience may be the key to breaking into Premier League clubs'

I shelved my increasingly spiraling thoughts for when I would be more sober and turned my attention back to the waiting duo, "Hmmm, when's the next match? And who are you guys playing?"

Mike looked intrigued by my response, "We are playing Luton on Sunday. Honestly, we are hoping for a draw at best"

"Luton, huh. Tommy will be there?"

Matt spat angrily, "You're goddamn right Tommy'll be there. He's half the reason why they're on top right now. Only you can score reliably against him. It's so infuriating to see him gloating now that you're not playing"

'Tommy is the only other ex-pro player in the league. Of course, he's going to wipe the board with most amateur strikers'

"Tell you what, you gather the boys on Friday. I need to sync up with the team before the game on Sunday"

"You serious? Hell yeah! Your wish is my command, Sir Puskas. Can't wait to see Tommy's face when he sees you on the pitch"

"Hahaha" x 2

Grinning at the excited Matt and the smiling Mike, I picked up my newly filled beer mug.

"Cheers" x 3

//Author's Notes:

I wanted to use this chapter as a way of getting to know Nick outside of his work. Hope I did a good job.

Skied a shot: Hit the shot into the spectator stands

Striker: The player typically responsible for scoring goals and is at the forefront of the attack.

Clean sheet: Term used when a team manages to not concede any goals.

Playmaker: The player responsible for ball distribution. They are generally good at understanding tactics and act as the control tower by directing the flow of the match.

Puskas: One of the best strikers in history.

Note - Defense is generally a group effort of 3-4 players in which the commanding defender is responsible for making sure the defending players are in the best position. Josh is an example of a commanding defender.

Hope you enjoyed reading :)